Container carrier



10, 1967 E. R. Gooome 3,34

CONTAINER CARRIER Filed May 5, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 20 2a FIG. 5 2o 20mm. :1 l I INHWWHHHH mm 1 (I I I HIHMHHIMH W I 1 lNVENTOA E LWYN R.GOODING ATTORNEYS E. R. eoobme- 3,346,106

- CONTAINER CARRIER Oct. 10, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 v Filed May 5, 1965INVENTOR ELWYN R. GOODING A TTOR/VEVS United States Patent 3,346,106CONTAINER CR Elwyn R. Gooding, Ann Arbor, Mich., assignor to Ex-Cell-OCorporation Filed May 3, 1965, Ser. No. 452,770

' 3 Claims. (Cl. 206-65) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A container carrierfor packaging a plurality of cans where the carrier holding elements arephysically related so that the carrier retains each can head due to thedimensional relationship therebetween without using elastic or resilientforces. The carrier has arcuate edge portions that underlie only the canbead and are spaced in diametrically opposed relation a distance greaterthan the outer diameter of the can body and less than the outer diameterof the can bead.

The present invention relates to a container carrier for securingtogether a group of containers of the type having a peripheral bead orrim on at least one end.

At the present time it is common practice in the container packaging artto secure together, by means of a suitable carrier made from a plasticor like material, a group of containers or cans of beer, soft drinks, orthe like, into a package. The carriers function to retain the containersin a compact unit and to provide a carrying handle for the package.Heretofore, carriers of this type have been costly to manufacture,difficult to attach to the containers, and unable to withstand roughtreatment.

An object of the present invention is, therefore, the provision of aninexpensive container carrier for securing together a group ofcontainers which is readily adapted to automatic feeding and attachment.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a carrier whichsecurely retains the containers in assembled relation, yet is readilyremovable by the purchaser.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a containerpackage providing a protective covering at the 'top portions thereof,cmpletely shielding the top portion of each individual container fromdirt and contamination, and will thus continue to perform this function,after removal of one or more containers from the package, for thecontainers remaining in the package.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a containercarrier that can be constructed by thermoforming from relatively rigidsheet plastic.

Still another object is to provide a container carrier in which thecontainers are completely supported by their top portions alone.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel one-piececarrier member adapted to be appliedto at least two adjacent containersin a manner so that the carrier retains the containers due to thephysical static interlocking relationship of the carrier with theindividual container bead or rim.

'A final object of the present invention is the provision -of acontainer carrier for securing a plurality of containers together toform a multi-container package that is adapted to be stacked on anothersimilar package in substantially the same manner as the conventionalcarton type package may be stacked.

\ 3,346,136 Patented Oct. 10, 1967 Other objects and advantages of thepresent invention will become apparent as the following descriptionproceeds, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a package including six containersdisposed in side-by-side substantially abutting and parallelrelationship and retained by a carrier incorporating features of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the carrier shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view taken on line 33 ofFIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary bottom plan view of the carrier ofFIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the carrier shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on line 66 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view in cross section taken on line7-7 of FIG. 2 illustrating the cooperation of the carrier with theintermediate containers.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications andalternative constructions, a certain illustrative embodiment has beenshown in the drawings and will be described below in considerabledetail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention tolimit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but on the contrary,the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative cinstructionsand equivalents falling within the scope of the invention as expressedin the appended claims.

Referring more specifically to FIG. 1, the invention is thereexemplified in a container carrier 10, preferably made from sheetplastic material, such as high impact polystyrene or cellulose acetatebutyrate, adapted to be attached to a plurality of containers 12 and tocombine the same into a single package of merchandise. In the presentinstance, a package of six is shown, but it is to be understood that themulti-container package could consist of a wide variety of containersand arrangements without departing from the scope of the invention.While the thickness of the sheet material can be varied, depending uponthe type of plastic to be used and the weight of the product in thecontainers, it is contemplated that the carrier material will range inthickness between approximately 15-40 mils. As an example, for a carrierformed from polystyrene and designed to transport relatively heavyproducts, such as liquids, the thickness of the carrier would be in therange of approximately 25-30 mils. As seen in FIG. 3, each container 12has circumferential beads 14 extending around at least the upper endportions thereof. Each bead, as will be noted from the drawings, extendsnot only beyond the top end wall 18 of the container, but also beyondthe periphery of the containers side wall 16.

The container carrier 10 comprises two parallel adjacent rows of threecontainer end wall cover discs 20, each of which are interconnected byintegral web portions 22 at their adjacent portions. It will be noted inFIG. 6 that discs 20 are formed to lie in a plane vertically spacedabove the plane of webs 22.

Formed around the outer periphery of the carrier 10 is a continuousoutwardly sloping skirt or flange 24 in tegral with intermittenthorizontal planar rib members 26 and hereinafter described periphery ofeach of the discs 20. Generally triangular dished-out depressions orrecesses 28 are spaced along the outer periphery of the carrier and aredownwardly formed from the web portions 22 and rib portions 26. FIG.shows that the rib portions 26 are located substantially in the medialhorizontal plane of the carrier 10, while the plane of recesses 28 isvertically spaced below the medial plane.

The carrier 16) is downwardly formed from its medial plane in thecentral interstice between adjacent discs to provide dome-shapedrecessed portions 3%. Finger receiving openings 32 having an ellipseconfiguration are formed in the recesses 30 for carrying and handlingpurposes. The edges of openings 32 are folded under to provide a smoothedge for the openings.

As can best be seen in FIG. 4, the dished-out portions 28 and 30 providearcuate edges 34 which are symmetrically positioned at three points inspaced relation about each disc at points substantially 90 removed fromeach other. The edges 34 are each provided by having their associatedrecesses 28 and formed in an undercut manner, thereby forming arcuategrooves 36. peripheral retaining edges 35 are formed at the corners ofthe carrier by the juncture of continuous flange 24 and the lowerportion of grooves 36 as shown in the right-hand portion of FIG. 3.Retaining edges 35 are also provided at intermediate side points of thecarrier as shown by FIG. 7. By this arrangement each container isretained by the interior edges 34 and the peripheral edges 35 to providea secure package.

The disc members 20 are provided with upwardly extending circular ridges38 which define the upper edge of downwardly sloping conical shaped orfrustum surface 40. A complementary sloping surface 42 is integrallyformed to make a V-shaped furrow 44 with surface 40. The surface 42extends upwardly into an arched ridge 46 that forms together with edges34 and 35 the vertical limits of grooves 36.

To permit the containers 12 to be more easily moved into their staticinterlocked relation with the carrier 10, there are provided slopedlead-in faces indicated by the numeral 48 (FIG. 4). As seen in FIG. 3,these surfaces are sloped inwardly to form with the complemental slopedflange 24 an interrupted conical shaped or frustrum surface. Thus, whena portion of the bead 14 of a container is brought into contact with theinner portion of flange 24 and lead-in surfaces 48, it will be properlyoriented to effect a smooth sure guidance of the carrier into theretained position shown in FIG. 3. This selfaligning feature isespecially desirable when the carriers are applied by machine inpreventing damage to the carriers by correcting for any misalignmentsbetween the containers and carriers.

In operation, when a container bead is contracted by the sloping areas48, 50, a portion of the bead will be directed into interlocked relationwith one of the grooves 36. Continued downward movement of the carrierwill result in a pivotal movement of edges 34 about the ridge 46suflicient to allow the remaining portions of the bead 14 to move intotheir associated grooves whereby the retaining edges 34 pivot back totheir static or rest position.

As viewed in FIG. 3, the container is held in static interlockedposition by engagement of the arcuate edges 34 and 35 with the undersideportion 52 of bead 14. By applicants unique concept, the container isretained in the carrier solely by its dimensional relationship with thecarrier. Applicant avoids the use of resilient or elastic forces beingapplied to the container and thereby attains a positive, physicalretention of the container.

It will also be noted that by applicants invention the entire top endwall 18 of each container is sealed from dirt and foreign matter duringall stages of dispersement and storage of the package until just beforeits use by the consumer. This feature has become increasingly importantin the container industry due to the advent of self-opening containerswhich are more susceptible of accumulating foreign mater.

FIG. 4 shows that the curvilinear retaining edges 34 and 35 areintermittent and extend approximately onehalf the circumference of thediscs 20, whose center is indicated at 51. The radial lines 53 shown inFIG. 4 intercept the effective retaining portions of edges 34 and 35. Itcan be seen that with the retaining edges 34 spaced approximately ontheir centers and having limits in arc length in the range ofapproximately 15 35 applicants edge areas 34 are able to pivot outwardlyupon engagement of bead 14 with surfaces 48 and 50 to permit passage ofthe container head into its retained location.

The carrier member 10 has areas at the tangent points 54 betweenadjacent discs 20 where the outward portions of adjacent containers arein substantial abutment. This means that each container bead, whenplaced in the carrier, is in juxtaposition with adjacent container beadsat a minimum of two locations and in the case of the intermediatecontainers, at three locations. This contact feature adds to thestability of the package and improves its stacking characteristics whilereducing the overall volume occupied by the package.

Due to the relative costs of competing packaging methods, it isdesirable that carriers of the instant type be formed from low costplastic material. Further, it is necessary that the carriers be formedinto the thinnest possible sections to minimize the amount of materialutilized. Heretofore, carriers of the instant type, that is, providing apackage that is solely supported by attachment to the upper ends of thecontainers, have been unable to prevent excessive fanning out of thelower unrestrained ends of the containers. This objectionable tendencyto fan out occurs primarily when the package is held by means of fingerholes 32 and oriented so that the plane of the carrier is moved from thehorizontal.

By utilizing applicants static interlock method of retaining thecontainers rather than an elastic means, applicant has been able toattain a relatively rigid nonelastic carrier retainer that eliminatesexcessive fanning out of the containers. This rigidity can be impartedto applicants carrier by the use of strengthening ribs and flanges suchas those defined by portions 26, 38 and 44 without affecting theretaining function of the intermittent curvilinear edges 34 and 35.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosedconstitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other formsmight be adopted.

I claim as my invention:

1. A package of a plurality of cylindrical cans or the like, saidpackage comprising in combination:

(a) a plurality of cans aligned in side by side relation and each havingan upwardly and laterally projecting bead at its upper end;

(b) a can securing carrier of non-elastic sheet plastic material havinga plurality of integrally formed upwardly displaced discs and downwardlydisplaced recesses;

(c) said downwardly displaced recesses being intermittently spacedaround the periphery of each of the cans on centers that are removedfrom each other by substantially ninety degrees;

(d) said downwardly displaced recesses each having inwardly extendingarcuate edges conforming to the can beads and subtending a radial angleof ninety degrees or less to thereby underlie and engage portions of theunderside of each can bead;

(e) each of said discs having a peripheral measurement greater than thebeads of the cans, and wherein the diametrically opposed arcuate edgesunderlying the bead of each can are spaced a distance greater than theouter diameter of the can body and less than the outer diameter of thecan bead; and

(f) said discs positioned to overlie the upper ends of the cans so thatthe distance measured between cen- 5 6 ters adjacent discs beingsubstantially equal to the References Cited distance measured betweencenters of adjacent cans, UNITED STATES PATENTS wherein each can bead isin direct abutting relation with a minimum of two adjacent beadsallowing the 32241576 12/1965 "Whlteford 206' 65 cans to be retained instatic interlocked package. 5 FOREIGN PATENTS 2. The package as definedin claim 1 wherein said sheet plastic material has a thickness withinthe range of 15-40 938683 10/1963 Great Bntam' H1118. JOSEPH R. LEOLAIR,Primary Examiner.

3. The package as defined in claim 1 wherein said arouate edges underlieportions of each can head not ex- 10 LOUIS MANCENE, Examine"- ceedingone hundred and eighty degrees in the aggregate.

1. A PACKAGE OF A PLURALITY OF CYLINDRICAL CANS OR THE LIKE, SAIDPACKAGE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: (A) A PLURALITY OF CAN ALIGNED INSIDE BY SIDE RELATION AND EACH HAVING AN UPWARDLY AND LATERALLYPROJECTING BEAD AT ITS UPPER END; (B) A CAN SECURING CARRIER OFNON-ELASTIC SHEET PLASTICMATERIAL HAVING A PLURALITY OF INTEGRALLYFORMED UPWARDLY DISPLACED DISCS AND DOWNWARDLY DISPLACED RECESSES; (C)SAID DOWNWARDLY DISPLACED RECESSES BEING INTERMITTENTLY SPACED AROUNDTHE PERIPHERY OF EACH OF THE CANS ON CENTERS THAT ARE REMOVEDD FROM EACHOTHER BY SUBSTANTIALLY NINETY DEGREES; (D) SAID DOWNWARDLY DISPLACEDRECESSES EACH HAVING INWARDLY EXTENDING ARCUATE EDGES CONFORMING TO THECAN BEADS AND SUBTENDING A RADIAL ANGLE OF NINETY DEGREES OR LESS TOTHEREBY UNDERLIE AND ENGAGE PORTIONS OF THE UNDERSIDE OF EACH CAN BEAD;(E) EACH OF SAID DISCS HAVING A PERIPHERAL MEASUREMENT GREATER THAN THEBEADS OF THE CANS, AND WHEREIN THE DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED ARCUTATE EDGESUNDERLYING THE BEAD OF EACH CAN ARE SPACED A DISTANCE GREATER THAN THEOUTER DIAMETER OF THE CAN BODY AND LESS THAN THE OUTER DIAMETER OF THECAN BEAD; AND